Loom.



No. 645,913. Patented Mar. 20, I900..

H. W. CRAY.

LOOM.

(Applicatipn filed Jan. 4, 1900.)

(No Model.)

NITEDA STATES PATENT- FFICE.

HENRY W. CRAY, OF MAYS LANDING, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE DRAPERCOMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, AND HOPEDALE, MASSA CHUSETTS.

LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters 1 atentNo. 645,913, dated. March20, 1900. Application filed January 4,1900. Serial No. 376. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, HENRY W. GRAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mays Landing, Atlantic county, and State of New Jersey,haveinvented an Improvement in Automatic Looms, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters and figures on the drawings representinglike parts.

This invention relates to that type of loom provided withfilling-supplying mechanism wherein such mechanism is operatedautomatically when the filling in the shuttle isexhausted to apredetermined extent, the con trolling means for the filling-supplyingmechanism including an actuator operated by engagement with theshuttle-body and a feeler to feel the filling in the shuttle and governthe operation of the actuator, retaining the latter inoperative untilthe filling has been exhausted to the desired extent. Such a loom isshown in United States Patent No. 626,187, granted May 30, 1899, andwhen bobbins or filling-carriers having conical bases are used with suchlooms it sometimes happens that the shuttle will be boxed in such mannerthat the feeling movement of the feeler will be great enough to permitoperation of the actuator before the filling has been exhausted to thedesired extent and the filling change will 00- cur too soon. Suchpremature action is due to the fact that a smaller portion of theconical base of the filling-carrier is opposed to the action of thefeeler than is proper, so that the movement of the feeler is too greatwhen the amount of filling remaining on the fill greatly-enlarged planview, partly in section, of a portion of the left-hand shuttle-box shownin Fig. l, with a portion of the shuttle and illustrating clearly oneembodiment of my invention; and Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation ofthe shuttle shown in Fig. 2.

The loom-frame A, breast-beam A the lay A the rotatable filling-feederF, shown at one side of the loom and adapted to transfer a fresh supplyof filling to the shuttle S when in the adjacent shuttle-box B,the studJQtransferrerf, mounted thereon, the shaft 01, adapted to be rocked uponfailure of the filling to actuate the transferrer, the feeling mechanismat the other side of the loom and including a feeler-carrier a, pivotedat a on a bracket secured to the breast-beam, the vertical pivot a onthe carrier, on which is fulcrumed a lat erally-swinging arm at", havingat one side of the fulcrum a rearWardly-extended portion a to form thefilling-feeler, adapted to pass through an aperture 4.111 the front wallof the shuttle-box B when the lay beats up, a stud or actuator a on theopposite side of the ful .crum to pass through the shuttle-box wall andengage the shuttle-body at times, may be and are all substantially asshown and described in the United States Patent referred to, like partsbeing herein correspondingly lettered and figured.

I have herein shown the slot 4 in the shuttle-box-front wall as longenough to admit the feeler and actuator, (see Fig. 2,) the latter beingshown as having a rounded head.

. In accordance with my invention the slot 5 in the side wall of theshuttle-body admits the feeler a when the lay beats up, the lay in Fig.1 being shown back and in Fig. 2 as having nearly beaten up.

Near the slot 5 and between it and the adjacent end of the shuttle Iform an elongated recess d in the wall of the shuttle-body, having abeveled or inclined bottom d ,Figs. 2 and 3, which slopes inward fromthe outer end of the shuttle and substantially in parallelism with theslope of the conical base b of the bobbin or filling-carrier b.

The filling is wound upon thefilling-carrier in the usual manner-first,upon the conical base, and after the desired number of layers are woundthereupon the traverse is increased and the bobbin is filled. At everyother pick from engaging a pivotally-mounted plate a said plate whenengaged operating to rock the shaft cl to effect filling change, as inthe patent referred to. hen the filling has been drawn off, however,until there are only a predetermined number of turns on the base b ofthe filling-carrier, the feeler a moves in so far that the actuator canengage the shuttle-body as the lay beats up, moving the arm a to theright, Fig. 1, and as the beat-up is completed the carrier a is swung onits pivot a and the dagger a engages and swings the plate 06 to operatethe rock-shaft d, and the filling will be changed. Such operationpresupposes the proper positioning of the shuttle in the shuttle-boxduring feeling movement of the feeler; but sometimes the shuttle willmove too far into the box, so that in using conical-base bobbins such asmall diameter of the base will be brought opposite the feeler that thelatter will move in far enough to permit the operation of the actuator,and the filling will be changed prematurely, resulting in waste filling.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the shuttle is shown as properly boxed, and thefeeler will operate properly, the actuator being opposite the bottom (Zof the recess (Z in the shuttle-body and near its outer end. Suppose,however, that the shuttle was moved farther to the left, Fig. 2. Then asmaller diameter of the conical base b of the filling-carrier would beopposite the feeler, and though the filling had not been exhausted tothe predetermined extent still the feeler would move into the shuttle sofar that the actuator could act; but such movement of the shuttle to theleft at the same time brings a deeper part of the recess at opposite theactuator, according to the extent which the shuttle is out of position,and when the lay beats up the bottom (Z of the recess will not beengaged by the actuator in time to operate the latter, as described; andthe filling will not be changed. I thus provide means to counteractundue movement of the feeler when the shuttle is improperly positionedprior to the exhaustion of the filling to the desired extent and soprevent waste. It will be manifest that such improper positioning of theshuttle will not occur pick after pick, but occasionally and atirregular intervals, so that the means to counteract its effect must bealways ready to act.

The parallelism of the recess-bottom (Z and the side of the conical baseb makes the delay in the engagement of the actuator a with the part (Zcorrespond to the increment of movement of the feeler, so that theformer counteracts the latter.

The filling-carrier is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as plentifully suppliedwith filling; but the operation of my invention will be clear from theforegoing description.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a loom, a shuttle containing a supply of filling,filling-supplying mechanism, controlling means therefor, including anactuator operated by engagement with the shuttlebody, and afilling-feeler to govern the actuator and retain it inoperative untilexhaustion of the filling to a predetermined extent, and means on theshuttle to prevent premature operation of the actuator due to themovement of the feeler when the shuttle is improperly positioned.

2. In a loom, a shuttle, a filling carrier therein having a conical baseand supporting a supply of filling, filling-supplying mechanism,controlling means therefor, including an actuator operated by engagementwith the shuttle-body, and a filling-feeler to feel the filling adjacentthe conical base of the fillingcarrier and to govern the actuator andretain it inoperative until exhaustion of the filling to a predeterminedextent, and means on the shuttle to prevent premature operation of theactuator upon undue movement of the feeler when the position of theshuttle presents an improper portion of the filling-carrier to thefeeler.

3. In a loom, a shuttle, a fillingcarrier therein having a conical baseand supporting a supply of filling, filling-supplying mechanism,controlling means therefor, including an actuator operated by engagementwith the shuttle-body, and a filling-feeler to feel the filling adjacentthe conical base of the fillingcarrier and to govern the actuator andretain it inoperative until exhaustion of the filling to a predeterminedextent, and an inclined face on the shuttle-body parallel to the side ofthe conical base of the filling-carrier, to be engaged by the actuatorand prevent its promature operation upon undue movement of the feelerwhen the position of the shuttle presents an improper portion of thefillingcarrier to the feeler.

4. In aloom,a shuttle provided with afeelerslot and an adjacent recesshaving a longitudinally-beveled bottom, a filling-carrier having aconical base, the bottom of the recess being parallel thereto,filling-supplying mechanism, and controlling means therefor, includingan actuator operated by engagement with the shuttle-body, and afilling-feeler to feel the filling through the slot in the shuttle andto govern the actuator, retaining it inoperative until predeterminedexhaustion of ICC) the filling, presentation by the shuttle of an nameto this specification in the presence of improper portion of thefilling-carrier to the two subscribing witnesses. feeler to therebycause premature operation of the actuator bringing such portion of the 5recess opposite the actuator as will retard the Witnesses:

operation of the same. LEWIS E. J EFFRIES,

In testimony whereof I have signed my JOHN E. ISZARD.

HENRY \V. CRAY.

